title: Serum concentrations of myostatin and myostatin-interacting proteins do not differ between young and sarcopenic elderly men.
abstract: Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle size and function during ageing. The aim of this study was to test whether serum concentrations of myostatin and interacting proteins (GASP-1, FLRG, and follistatin) differed between young and elderly sarcopenic men. Isometric knee extensor maximal voluntary contraction and quadriceps cross-sectional area (magnetic resonance imaging measurement) were significantly higher in young (22 ± 2 years; 266 ± 54 N/m; 8,686 ± 1,154 mm(2)) than in mildly sarcopenic (69 ± 3 years; 183 ± 17 N/m; 6,621±718 mm(2)) and severely sarcopenic men (76 ± 6 years; 127 ± 23 N/m; 5,846 ± 591 mm(2)), respectively (p ≤ .01 for all comparisons). There was a trend (p = .06) toward higher FLRG in young (20 ± 8 ng/mL) than in mildly (15 ± 6 ng/mL) and severely sarcopenic men (17 ± 8 ng/mL). Myostatin, follistatin, GASP-1, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin-6 did not differ significantly. Insulin-like growth factor-1 and free testosterone were both significantly lower in sarcopenic men (p < .001). This suggests that altered serum concentrations of myostatin and myostatin-interacting proteins are not contributing to sarcopenia with the possible exception of FLRG.
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ratkevicius
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joyson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Selmer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dhanani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grierson
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tommasi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: DeVries
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rauchhaus
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crowther
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alesci
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yaworsky
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Redpath
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: K C H
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Fearon
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Greig
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wackerhage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D038681:Follistatin / Q000097:blood; D038702:Follistatin-Related Proteins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D055435:Myostatin / Q000097:blood*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000097:blood*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D038681:Follistatin; D038702:Follistatin-Related Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6; D055435:Myostatin; D011506:Proteins; C424444:WFIKKN2 protein, human; D013739:Testosterone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I